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I'm looking to be prescribed long term, low dose Accutane. I see some people here with that treatment; however, they all seem to be in Australia, New Zealand, or England. I've tried one doctor with no luck. Before I try another and another... is this even a treatment done by US doctors?
Some background on myself:
33, white, male, acne and very oily skin since 15, Accutane is the only thing that works for me. Other than dryish skin and dry lips; I've had no negative side effects.
My skin: face, scalp, chest, back, gets very oily. 5 minutes after a shower, i'll see oil pooling in my nose pores. My hair smells bad hours after a shower due to the excess oil produced by my scalp skin. And obviously, the increased oil production yields zits and black heads all over my face.
I tried everything I read to try to fix my skin: no dairy, every face wash out there, oil washes, washing using only water, using a towel as a pillow case...
I was 24 when I finally went to see a dermatologist. He prescribed all kinds of washes, antibiotics, retinoid cream; nothing worked. It just made my face red and my skin continued to be very oily.
Finally I tried Accutane. It was a miracle drug for me. I read horror stories about it; but I lucked out. Other than dry skin, no negative side effects. It was a 6 month cycle and left my skin flawless... for a few months :/
A few months after the treatment, I wake up one day and could smell my scalp... my face had been getting a little oily... soon after that, zits came back. Much more sparse and weaker than before; but still a nuisance.
Back to the doctor, and he refuses a second Accutane treatment. Maybe a year passes and my skin gets worse; but never as bad as before. I decide to medicate myself. Since then (almost 10 years now) I've been buying Accutane online and taking 20 mg pills roughly 5-7 days a week. My skin has been perfect.
I've had no health issues. I've had blood work done and my liver is just fine.
My physician says I should stop the accutane, but he doesn't have to live my life - life that I don't feel is worth living if I have to feel gross and oily all the time - ashamed of the skin I'm in. If my option was to live to 100 with bad skin, or live to 70 with perfect skin... I'll gladly die early.
Regardless of his request to stop my accutane use; he sent me to a dermatologist. At least I'd have regular blood work done. So i see the dermatologist, and get denied a prescription. I didn't expect help... my skin looked great at the time and, in my experience, it's pretty hard to be prescribed accutane.
So, that's where I am now... I want to go legit, at least insurance would cover some of the cost. I'm paying ~$2.50 a pill right now. However, I dont feel like visiting half a dozen doctors if NONE will prescribe a long term low dose accutane prescription.
I'm not sure how it works in the USA because I'm from Europe, but I think that 20 mg per day is not really a low dose for a long-term treatment. Maybe that's the reason why dermatologists won't prescribe you Accutane. I'm on a low dose long term treatment myself but I'm taking 5 mg pill every other day (20 mg per week). My acne was very mild from the start (though incredibly persistent) so no one would ever prescribe me a regular dose of Accutane. Fortunately, my derm came up with an idea of ultra-low dose for a longer period of time. In my country Accutane is not such a big deal as in USA. For example, I don't have to take birth control pills even though I'm a female in a reproductive age. I have my blood tests taken but not as often as people who take a regular dose. I don't know how it would work out in the USA but I think that you should try asking for a lower dose, like 10 or 5 mg per day. It's enough to stay clear.
Apart from that, I'm not sure if staying on a low dose for life is a good idea. My derm said that my long-term treatment can last up to 5 years but not longer. It's your choice, though.
My derm told me they use to prescribe low dose accutane to patients who have psoriasis, but the U.S. has gotten much more stricter, he said since the whole pregnancy issue with women he doesn't for see any time soon where the U.S. will permit low dose accutane. However, that being said I am sure it depends on whose your health care provider. The company I am with is strict with rules and regulations, but I know people who have other health care providers and the treatment is much different for all your health care. I live in California. When I was in Texas I had a different health care provider and they focused on my acne being hormonal and they said accutane would never have staying power for me. I was given spiro which is for women and it did wonders, but my derm in California says my acne is not hormonal and I am on yes a 4th round of accutane. It always works wonders but once I stop taking it it comes back. So every doctor and provider is different and says something different. I know some people who can't even get accutane and their acne is way worse than mine because their derm are so scared of prescribing it because of all the negative complaints and side effects, yet I am on my 4th round. So welcome to the USA...lol I don't know how health care works in other countries, but here I feel like it all depends on who your provider is and your doctor they all have their own personal beliefs on accutane. I mean there are a lot of people who don't need adderrall or oxycontin, but theres always a doctor out there who is willing to prescribe even if not needed because of the money the doctor and insurance company makes off of prescribing it. Not to get political but theres a reason the super wealthy including Obama and his family and politicians do not use Obama care aka free health care for all. Not all health care is created equal. Welcome to America.
